A Christmas Hot Chocolate
by Farsight020
Summary: A sequel to "A Christmas Bear". One year later, after a depressing Christmas Eve, Superman visits some old friends.


_This story takes place the year after my story A Christmas Bear. I wanted to continue the tale as we come into the holiday season yet again, but this time, was inspired to continue it from a different angle. _

"_Superman." _Even from where Clark hovered, exhausted, miles above the Earth, he could not help but hear that whisper cutting through all the sounds on Earth that were his constant companions—the gift and bane of Superman.

"_Superman." _It had not been a Christmas Eve of Peace and Joy for Earth. Somehow it seemed that this Christmas, everything and everyone had gone crazy—robberies, fires, volcanic eruptions. Superman was waiting for a call to the End of the World. So many rescues, and so little gratitude. It seemed selfish, but he just wished people would say thank you. It seemed at times as if the citizens of the world, and especially of Metropolis, took him for granted sometimes. This would never stop him from doing what was right but still…. It was thankless work. Clark was supposed to go home for Christmas the next day, but in his depressed mood, he wasn't sure he was up for celebrating—and he certainly didn't want to ruin his mother's Christmas.

"_Superman." _It was a persistent voice, he would give you that. Slowly he began to descend through the layers of the Earth's atmosphere, following the sound to a familiar little house on a military base brightly festooned with brilliant Christmas decorations—and a yellow ribbon. For the second year in a row, a little girl stood at the front door in a nightgown decorated in candy canes, clutching a bedraggled teddy bear to her chest.

Even in his mood, Clark couldn't help but smile as he set down gently on the front stoop. It was half-hearted, but it was more of one than he had given all day. "Merry Christmas, Kayleigh. How is Penguin? " he asked, nodding toward the stuffed bear

She smiled back. "Penguin's good. Merry Christmas, Superman. " She reached out, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door.

Surprised, he followed. "Where are we going Kayleigh?"

"Me and Daddy made you hot chocolate," she said, giggling.

Clark paused than knelt next to her. "You made me hot chocolate?" he asked her.

Another voice answered him, "Yes, we did." Clark looked up. Captain (now Major, Clark noted) John Hayes stood in the doorway between the front room and the kitchen, holding a mug of steaming hot chocolate. He gestured to the television, which was currently off. "Seems like you had quite a day," he said.

Kayleigh nodded and smiled, dragging Clark past her dad into the kitchen where another two mugs of hot chocolate sat on the table. "You looked sad on the TV," she said, "so we made hot chocolate to make you better. That's what Mommy always used to do."

"Til's favorite saying was always 'a hot chocolate a day keeps the psychiatrists away,'" John continued Kayleigh's story. "It certainly has helped us out the past few months."

Clark looked around noticing that the picture of a beautiful woman who looked a good deal like Kayleigh hung on the wall in a place of honor. John nodded at seeing his look, confirming his guess that Kayleigh's mother had died sometime in the past year.

"Sit, Superman," Kayleigh commanded, having missed the exchange between her two heroes. She pulled him down and pushed a mug of cocoa, loaded with marshmallows, towards him before eagerly slurping her home.

John sat in the other seat at the table. "I hope you like marshmallows," he said. "Kayleigh insisted."

Clark smiled a little again. "There is no such thing as hot chocolate without marshmallows," he replied, before taking a big sip. Although the hot chocolate was never too hot for him, it still gave him a warm feeling inside—rather from happy memories or from actual heat, he was never quite sure. As he began to sip, Kayleigh began to chatter about when she had gone sledding with her friends and Penguin the bear in the snow and how Penguin had gotten lost, almost, and all those wonderful things that only young children can talk about. Eventually she started to slow down, clearly getting tired.

"All right, pumpkin, time for bed," her father said, picking her up. "We want Santa to come don't we?"

She nodded sleepily as he began to carry her to the stairs. Leaning on his shoulder, she looked back at Clark and waved. "Merry Christmas, Superman," she said smiling.

She raised his hand to her. "Merry Christmas, Kayleigh."

Some minutes later, John returned without her. "I don't know that we ever got to thank you, Superman, for last Christmas."

Clark looked up from the last dregs of his hot chocolate, surprised. "It was hardly anything," he protested.

"Just because there was no Kryptonite involved and you weren't saving the world doesn't make us any less thankful," John replied. "It was a hard Christmas and your help made it all the more bearable. I realize that yours is a thankless job…"

"As is yours," Clark interrupted.

"True," John replied, "But actions of people like you thank me enough, as did your gift last year."

"This is thanks enough," Clark said standing. "Having someone care enough to take time out of their Christmas Eve just to make me hot chocolate means a lot to me. Thank you."

"And thank you," John said, leading him to the front door. "

"Merry Christmas, Major Hayes," Clark said just as he took off.

"Merry Christmas, Superman," John said as he looked up at the speeding blur that was already nearly out of his sight. "Fly safe."

Clark sped towards home, his mother, and a Christmas breakfast, finally in a Christmas mood and ready to enjoy as much of the day as was possible. It was amazing how one mug of chocolate had save an entire day for him.

"_Help!!! Superman!!!" _someone cried.

Clark paused and then diverted from his course to a woman trapped in a building on fire just outside of Minneapolis.

Before he made it to Christmas with his mother, he would rescue five more people, because he was Superman and that was what he did.

He did it for his world.

He did it for his beliefs.

He did it for his family.

And he did it for people like a little girl named Kayleigh, her father John, and her bear Penguin.


End file.
